First and foremost, this book is great because it’s written in a very lively and truthful manner. I read it in one sitting. The book is about the creation of Zappos.com, an online shoe store that was sold to Amazon for $1.2 billion. Before this, the author gained fame by creating LinkExchange and selling it to Microsoft, earning $40 million and turning down an additional $25 million for KPIs since he quit immediately afterward. Well, $40 million isn’t too shabby.

The book dedicates a lot of attention to the magical corporate culture of Zappos – how they treat customers and suppliers with exceptional care, deliver a WOW-effect, develop employees, think creatively and unconventionally, and are all so passionate, determined, and at the same time humble. It’s hard to believe that this was the sole reason for the company’s success. For the first three years, they scraped by from one funding round to another, firing employees who often worked for food. And when sales reached $30 million a year, they suddenly realized that their wonderful corporate culture was what would take them to the next level. I won’t argue with that, but it’s unlikely to be very interesting to someone whose company makes less than $30 million a year (Anyone here? Raise your hand).

However, Tony’s life story is incredibly interesting, especially his college years and early earnings. The author initially wasn’t focused on making big money but mostly did what interested him. This is what makes the book instructive.

At the end, there’s a good chapter on happiness, quite accurate and without unnecessary theories. Here’s a profound thought: Many people spend their lives chasing happiness in the form of “pleasure,” thinking that once they achieve it, they’ll pursue their passion, and when they have it, they’ll seek a higher purpose. But research suggests that the correct strategy would be to first figure out your highest purpose and strive for it (as it provides the longest-lasting type of happiness), then add a layer of passion, and finally, pursue happiness in the form of “pleasure.”

It should be noted that Tony died at the end of 2020 in a fire at one of his mansions, which he had bought for some girl, likely under the influence of substances. Well, that’s that.